I Heart Chicago

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to go on one of my favorite vacations ever. Chicago. My sister graduated from high school and for her senior trip she wanted to go see the Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley (my family have been Cubs fans since...always. Weird, I know).

We got up real early on Tuesday and caught our flight to Chicago. After a rain delay we were able to see a late Cubs game vs. the Oakland A's. There is nothing better than the ballpark atmosphere. The camaraderie is infectious, and the dedication to the team, while found with each time, is a unique brand when it comes to the Cubs. Because we suck. But even though we lost, this game was so fun. I love Carlos Zambrano and Marlon Byrd and DLee. So fun.


On Wednesday we got up and drove into the city. We had a delicious lunch/dinner at Maggiano's (best classy mafia-style Italian restaurant ever), and then hung out downtown. I absolutely fell in love with the city. We didn't go to the South side because, obviously, we wanted to stay alive. But downtown is fantastic.


I love that all of the buildings have a unique history, and that they are from all different time periods and reflect different architectural styles. I mean, I'm walking past a Gothic style cathedral covered in ivy, and then cross the street to go into H&M or the Apple store. I love the residential high-risers with balconies and rooftop gardens. I knew I didn't love nature and general outdoorsy-ness, but I always liked living in Mapleton with fields and yards and deer running around. Now, I think I may actually be a city girl, through and through.


Thursday we went to a day game and sat in the bleachers. The experience is awesome. Drunk, shirtless guys, tons and tons of cussing, and eating hot dogs. It was so so so so hot. But way fun. Afterwards we went to see A-Team, which was fantastic (2nd time for me). Loved it. I'm thinking about doing movie reviews on this blog. But that's a tangent. The Cubs won, so this was one of my favorite days, but also because we ate at Pizzeria Uno - Home of the Deep Dish Pizza. BEST. PIZZA. I. HAVE. EVER. HAD.


Friday we drove downtown and ate at the Melting Pot for my dad's bday/father's day celebration, Part One. For some reason we were super giggly and ridiculous this entire day. There was a crazy storm that afternoon and evening. Trees falling down and whatnot. It was so fun to sit with the lights out and watch it out the glass balcony doors of our hotel room.

Saturday we went to another day game, this time vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We saw Toy Story 3, and it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. We laughed throughout the entire thing, and I'm 90% sure my dad cried at the end.

Sunday as we were checking out of our hotel, luckily my dad checked his email to find that our flight was canceled. And luckily, we were able to get another flight out. After resolving the drama we at at Weber Grill, which was delicious and then caught our flight home.

The best part of the trip? Getting to spend a week with these people.

Cinema

I love movies. I always have. When I was a kid/teenager, my family used to go to movies like crazy. Almost every Saturday afternoon we'd fill ourselves with tubs of popcorn and Diet Coke while enjoying the latest action, science fiction or comedy film. I particularly remember the comic book and Lord of the Rings movies. My dad would buy a chunk of tickets and we'd go with all our friends, passing the time with card games and making fun of people. I miss that.

Now, it's Netflix, 24/7. I made the decision to get Netflix this summer because I wasn't taking classes. I thought, "Hey, I'll probably get rid of it in the fall when school starts up again." No. I won't give it up. I'm never letting it go. I am almost CONSTANTLY watching a movie or TV show. Right now it's an episode of Reno 911! Hulu is also a companion of mine. YouTube is particularly awesome. I watched all of the original series after the new movie kicked my, well... it was awesome.

Ok, so let's just say I had to rank my top 5 movies. This would be it. But it is subject to change.

1. The Phantom of the Opera (2004). Anyone who knows me at all knows this. In 9th grade I was unhealthy about this. This movie simply astounds me. The music needs no explanation. I fell in love with the costumes, the scenery, the actors and actresses. I became completely enamored with the romance, action, and suspense. I will watch this movie at any moment of any day.

2. The Little Mermaid (1989). Cheesy. I know. But I watched this every day, sometimes multiple times a day, for a significant portion of my youth. It reminds me of who I am. I sing "Part of Your World" in the shower regularly. Oddly, I hate the ocean.

3. Anchorman (2004). This is the most hilarious, quotable movie ever. I think Will Ferrell is the best. Last week my dad bought me a "Stay Classy, San Diego" T-shirt. It's fantastic. Did anyone NOT like this movie?

4. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980). If I could list the Trilogy as one movie, I would. They are incredible. I've loved them for as long as I can remember. Han Solo is THE MAN. I have always identified with Leia. Naturally, I love the romance there. Sometimes Darth Vader is in my dreams.

5. Star Trek (2009). JJ Abrams has the Midas touch. I thought this movie would be entertaining but largely cult-classic material. It swept my Memorial Day weekend in '09. I was BLOWN AWAY. I loved it. I found myself incredibly attracted to Spock. This took my nerd-dom to a whole new level. I immediately began watching TOS and loved that even more. You can appreciate the movie better after watching the originals. Leonard Nimoy is phenomenal, and all of the new young actors absolutely NAILED their parts. Great movie.

My Favorite Building

Can it be my favorite building, if I've never even been inside?


Last week I had to work up in the Church History Library at the request of my boss. After battling my way through the SNOW (the horror) early Monday morning, I found myself admiring the beauty of the Church buildings. I was done around 3:30 and thought to myself "Why not walk around Temple Square? It's been forever."


I've always loved Temple Square. For as long as I can remember, I thought of it as the most beautiful and majestic of our wonderful temples. It looks like a castle, and the Disney princess infatuation inside of me wakes up and swoons whenever I see it, even at age 20. The grounds are beautiful as well, obviously. But the building itself is absolutely captivating.

I walked around for 40-45 minutes, completely alone. I listened to songs that enhanced my experience, as I sat on the bench on the east side of the temple and just looked up toward the golden angel. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed the spiritual beauty of something so sacred. I should do it more.

I love doing things like this. I love experiencing things on my own, and making the decision to take advantage of small opportunities. While sitting on the bench, a sweet little old lady came up to talk to me. She said she'd be happy to accompany me if I was lonely. For me, there's no such thing. I'm not lonely. I'm just alone. And that's the way I like it. Especially when surrounded by such quiet splendor.

Age: The Universal Plague

It's just a number, right? Why should it matter all that much?

I've been thinking quite a bit about age lately. Turning 20 seemed like such a big deal. No longer was I a "teen." I liked being 20. It seemed so much older than 19. But suddenly, age seems somewhat scary. My sister is graduating and turning 18 in the next couple months. I'm going to be spending time alone in foreign countries this summer. I'll be finishing my last two semesters in the next year, and then I'll actually be teaching in a school. Isn't that strange?

Last night, I was carded twice. TWICE! Could I really still pass for 17? I was distressed by that. I really hate feeling young, generally. I hang out and date guys that are usually 3+ years older than me, and saying I'm 20 while in the company of 27 year olds tends to make everyone a little uncomfortable.

Oddly, everyone who I talk with on a regular basis overestimates my age by at least 2 years. My coworkers, roommates and guys I date before my age comes up have assumed that I was 22, 23. I have mixed feelings about this, too. I like that I can mentally and socially pass for 22, and keep up with an older crowd. But as I slowly creep closer to being an "adult," I feel that I'm winding up towards some sort of a time-window during which I must make all progress and serious decisions.

It's a sort of sprint that I welcome, but I'd rather not be training for right now.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

I suppose I have joined the masses of people who blog about their lives. I can't keep up, but I am hoping I will have enough interesting things happen to me to keep the wheels turning.

The real reason I want to keep a personal blog is because I will be going to Wales (and other cool places) this summer, and a blog is the perfect way to document the experience for myself and those I love back home. I will be leaving early in July, so until then I will try to get the hang of blogging.

SUMMER. It is here for me. I finally finished Winter Semester, after going to school since Fall Semester 2008. Burnt out. I feel much like Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) when I think about all the nothing I want to do this summer and how little time I have to accomplish it.

Things I want to do
1. Read. I have quite the list of books to tackle in the next 2 months. The first is the sequel to "The Hunger Games" - "Catching Fire".
2. Yoga. I have my own cool yoga mat, a living room perfect for a sunrise session, and a hot yoga instructor at my local Gold's.
3. Make solid use of my recently acquired Netflix account. I have already added a substantial number of movies and TV series to my queue. I just received "Gone with the Wind" in the mail after the harping of my office friends to watch it.
4. Cook. I am excited to reinstate "Treat Monday" in the LAO (Library Administration Office) and to learn how to cook lots of cool things. I found an awesome site and I'm constantly adding recipes to a list of things I want to make.
5. Laying by the pool. Obviously.
6. Softball/Baseball games.
7. Nintendo 64
8. Go to every local music show physically possible. I love them. Velour and Sammy's always deliver.
9. Make some bad decisions.
10. Sleep.

This is a pretty good list. It's making me antsy. I also need to plan my trip, but that'll come. I will continue to post about my plans for Wales and any other interesting things that happen to me. Long live the blog.

In a Flash

For my Project #3, I decided to use an online flashcard builder as tool for an assignment for a history class. I created a worksheet outlining the process and instructed students to create online flashcards for their textbook unit.

Unit Term Flashcards

At the end of each unit you will be expected to create and show proof of a set of flashcards made for the unit terms listed in the text and at the end of each unit. You may create traditional 3x5 cards or you may use an online flashcard builder like Flashcard Machine. For the first unit, your assignment is to create a set of flashcards using this website, so that you may learn how to use it.

Steps to Create a Flashcard Set
1. Go to www.flashcardmachine.com to create an account
1.1. Choose the tab “MyFlashcards”
1.2. Click “Register Here”
1.3. Enter your information. Make sure you indicate that you are a student. If you do not have a personal email account, please let me know. I can sign you up under my teacher account.
1.4. Check your email for the verification link and validate your account. Then click the link “Get Started Creating Flashcards”
2. Create a New Flashcard Set
2.1. Follow the directions to identify the flashcard set.
2.2. You can add your flashcard set to the Flashcard Database if you want to coordinate and work with friends. Similarly you can give your flashcard set Read-Only Access. This means that you can get a URL for your flashcard set to share with others who may not have an account with Flashcard Machine.
2.3. Save the flashcard set
3. Add/Edit Flashcards
3.1. Click button labeled “Quick Editor” to add and edit cards. When you become comfortable with Flashcard Machine and want to take your flashcards to the next level, you can use the Advanced Editor to attach images or audio to your flashcards. For now, Quick Editor does everything you will need.
3.2. Click “Save” after entering in all of your cards, and then “Exit
4. Begin Studying
4.1. Click “Start Study Session”
4.2. A dialogue box will come up asking for the study session settings you would like.
4.2.1. Order – You can choose Random, or Ascending/Descending if you have a specific order.
4.2.2. Term vs. Definition – Choose which you would like to see first. I recommend doing each in separate study sessions.
4.2.3. Flagged Cards – Once you have flagged cards, you can leave those cards out (if you already know them by heart), do only those cards (if they are particularly difficult or important) or just leave them with the set. You may flag cards in the edit screen or while studying.
4.2.4. Auto-flip – If you would like to set a specific time limit to spend on each card or not have to click them over, you can choose auto-flip and designate how long you would like each card to stay up before flipping.
4.3. Click “Begin.” It will bring up a flashcard window. You may then choose to flip, change cards, and finish your session.
4.4. You may save sessions for up to 1 week. The dialogue boxes will walk you through it when you log out.


To exemplify the process, I followed the assignment details and created a small set of flashcards for unit terms in one of my textbooks. My set of flashcards can be found here.

This is a project I will definitely use in my history and other courses. I will even use it in my studies here at BYU. It is incredibly helpful to have access to the flashcards whenever I am on a computer. This is an incredibly easy tool to learn to use and to implement in the classroom.

Puzzle Pieces Always Fit Together

This has been, by far, the most useful education class I've taken at BYU yet. I think I use everything we have learned. The most useful part of the course was just developing the skill to find and learn to use new things. New technology can be daunting. If we think we're doing fine without it, why bother? But often this new technology is surprisingly easy to use, and very useful. If it doesn't work for you, that's fine. At least you know how to use it. You never know when that knowledge might come in handy.

Making videos was helpful for instruction, as was learning to create a blog. I would say the most helpful assignment was creating my website. I fully intend to create a website for my classes when I begin teaching. Google sites was super easy and I would be able to keep modifying and updating it to meet my needs. It was incredible to see the finished product and I felt proud to show it off to my technology-deprived parents and technology-rich friends, both of whom appreciated it.

Personally, I use Google Reader, Twitter, blogging and video chat because of this class. I had not used them before and thought they wouldn't be helpful to me. Google Reader in particular has helped me find materials that I would like to use in my lesson plans, and it is easy to tag and organize them for that purpose.

I plan to continue using the skills I developed during this course to find new ways to connect and share to better help my students learn.